The Days With You
by MysticPuma
Summary: Modern AU of Raven and Lucius' lives. Eventual RXL, but not for a long while cause they start out as kids XD x
1. Chapter 1

**The Days With You**

**AN: Hi guys! So this is a modern, AU Fire Emblem 7 fanfic that I began writing last year for Camp NaNoWriMo, and am continuing for this year's Camp NaNoWriMo (and hoping to finish). It's about Raven and Lucius, and how their lives would be if they lived in modern England (only because I am English and therefore I understand things lol)**

**It will EVENTUALLY be Raven X Lucius (but not for a long while... THEY'RE KIDS AT THE MOMENT)**

**Rated T for violence and because I don't really know what's gonna happen towards the end lol XD**

**Enjoy!**

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><p><strong><span>Chapter 1 – Raymond - Rain<span>**

The rain pattered gently against the window, and at it sat a young boy, with his knees drawn close to his chest, his dark auburn hair draped over his similarly coloured eyes.

"Ray! Ray!" came the call of his younger sister. He ignored her. He didn't want to hear her right now. He was in one of those moods… He just wanted to stare out of the window, watching the rain. "Ray?" she was next to him now. He sighed, knowing he couldn't escape her now.

"Yes, Priscilla?" he muttered, not looking at his younger sister.

"Look what I drew, Ray!" she said. He involuntarily turned to look at the picture. It was crude at best… As was to be expected of a five year old's drawing.

"What is it?" he asked, with a confused frown. It just looked like a lot of brown and red squiggles to him…

"It's a horsey, Ray! Lookey! I'm riding it! Daddy said… he said one day I can have a pony!" Priscilla said, grinning wildly. "He promised."

Raymond smiled at his little sister as she turned and ran out, probably to draw more… He turned back to the window. His father had lied to her. They were hardly well off, when would they afford a horse? Besides, where would they put it? In the garden? It was far too small. Oh well, Priscilla would soon forget any promises made to her… He'd forgotten anything they'd ever promised him almost straight after they'd made them.

The rain was strangely fascinating. It ran down the windows in odd patterns, sometimes as though they were racing each other to the bottom. He always found himself rooting for one or the other, often the one closer to the left… They rarely won, but when they did, his heart would lift a little, just to be knocked back down when the next one lost.

"Raymond, Priscilla! Time for bed!" called their mother. Raymond sighed, watching the last race finish, with another loss for his side, before pushing himself off the bed he used as a window seat to re-enter his small room. He crouched to pull his pyjamas from under his bed, as the clock struck eight thirty. It felt too early to him, but it didn't bother him. He'd had his time to relax, and now it was time to rest.

He pulled the pale blue t-shirt over his head. It was a little small, tighter than it should be, but so long as he could breath, he didn't mind. The trousers were the opposite. They were baggy and hung loosely on his hips. He was used to it though, so he absentmindedly headed into the bathroom, where Priscilla was already stood on a little stool to brush her teeth. Raymond smiled lightly and stood beside her.

"Hewwo bigh bwofer!" she said, through a mouth-full of tooth-paste _and_ her tooth brush. Raymond chuckled as he began his own ritual.

As he was clambering into bed, he heard the footsteps of his parents coming up the stairs. They of course went to Priscilla's room first, and Raymond just buried himself further into his duvet, cocooning himself in warmth. The heating would be switching off soon, and he needed all the warmth he could get.

The small click of a light-switch and the subsequent closing door told him that they were done tucking Priscilla in, and sure enough a couple of seconds later, they both walked into his room. His mother came forward and pressed a light kiss to his forehead, stroking his face gently.

"Goodnight, Ray." She whispered, with a smile. There was sadness underneath it though. There always was. Raymond couldn't fathom why. They had each other. That was enough to make anyone happy… So why did she always seem so sad?

As she returned to stand in the doorway, his father came over and kneeled down next to his bed.

"G'night, sport." He said, with a wry smile. There was no sadness behind his eyes, and that made Raymond feel better. So long as his Dad was happy, his Mum would surely get better, right?

"'Night Mum… 'Night Dad." He said, as a yawn broke his thoughts. His father chuckled, standing up and going to the doorway as well.

"Sleep well, Raymond." His mother said, leaving. Just before his father left, he turned out the light, and then he followed, closing the door behind him.

As Raymond closed his eyes he heard the mutterings of his parents outside.

"I just wish we could give them more…" his mother murmured, sadly.

"Don't worry, honey. Things are gonna start looking up." His father replied. "I promise."

For some reason, that sentence gave Raymond a sinking feeling… But as he slipped into darkness, he had no time to dwell on it.

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><p><strong>Okay, so there's the opening chapter :) I hope you guys like it x If any of you are also reading my Magical Diary fanfic "The Story Never Really Ends", don't fret! I'm still writing it xD Just cause I'm writing this doesn't mean I'm not writing that :) Also, reviews are a writer's life-blood xxx<strong>


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: New chapter :) Throughout the story, it sort of switches POVs, even though it is 3rd person, it's more their perspectives than anything :)**

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><p><strong><span>Chapter 2 – Lucius - Loss<span>**

"Lucy! Lucy! Lucy!" the bully jeered. He was at least three years younger than Lucius, but the blonde didn't dare say anything back. He just kept walking, clutching his battered old book tightly as he made his way back to his room for the night. He often kept the book on his person, it made him feel stronger… calmer.

"You're such a girl! Won't even look at us! Wimpy girly girl!" another boy jeered. This was the least of their threats to him… So he sped up, unwilling to face their more frightening attempts to break him. But it seemed today wasn't his lucky day. _Oh God…_ was all he could think as the third of the usual group of bullies stepped in front of him, blocking his path forwards. He turned to go the other way, but the other two had already stepped into his path.

Lucius had long since given up hope that those who ran the orphanage would take any notice of his suffering, so he no longer screamed… He just let the tears run silently down his face, and took his punishment.

But today was too far…

The twelve year-old was dragged by the three boys, who couldn't be more than ten, through the rooms and into the bathroom. Once there, the first boy tugged his hair violently, and hot tears sprang to Lucius' eyes, as the second kicked him in the stomach, and he doubled over, keeping a tight hold on his book. The book, which he always carried around, had gone remarkably unscathed by the bullies through his many years in the god-forsaken place… But one of them noticed how he clung to it.

"Hey, lucy, what's that book? Is it your _diary_?" the first boy snickered. Lucius subconsciously tightened his grip on it. "Hehe, I bet you write all about which boys you fancy from school in that, don't you Lucy?"

"P-please… stay away…" Lucius whispered, the tears spilling over and cascading down his cheeks.

"Aw, that's right Lucy. Cry. Cry like the sissy you are!" the third boy piped up, kicking him in the arm. This, to Lucius' horror, loosened his grip on the book, and the first boy, the obvious leader, snatched it roughly from his grasp.

"No! It's fragile, please! No! Not that!" Lucius cried, trying to get up, but the second boy kicked him in the chest, pushing him to the floor in a heap, and holding him there as the first boy roughly turned the pages.

"Aw, this is boring! It's just some stupid story-book!" he yelled dismissively, throwing the book behind him into the toilet.

"No! NO!" Lucius screamed, his voice raw, and he began to cough violently. The boys proceeded to kick him until he had several cuts bleeding onto his pale blue shirt and torn jeans, and left him there, still coughing, laughing all the while.

Despite the pain, and the constant coughing fits, Lucius pushed himself up onto his hands, and crawled to the toilet. He reached in and pulled the book out, placing it carefully on the floor. He opened it. The pages were drenched, but the writing was still intact… He prayed it would be okay…

That book was all he had left of his father… It was the book his father had been reading him the night he was killed… A memory Lucius was never keen to venture into. He'd only been three… but it was still as clear as day in his mind…

_"That's all for tonight, Lucius…" his father said. Lucius pouted. His father laughed heartily. "I'll read you two tomorrow night, how about that?" he said, as he placed the bookmark in the pages at chapter 8._

_"Aw… okay, daddy." Lucius said, with a smile. His father stood, placing the book on Lucius' bed-side table. But as he was about to tuck Lucius in, he heard a crash downstairs. He froze. _

_"Lucius?" he whispered. "Stay quiet… I'm going to go and see what's happened downstairs. Stay here, I'll be right back." He said, touching his little son's face gently. Nobody was in the house, his wife was in hospital… So it could only be one thing…_

_Lucius, though, concerned for his father's well-being, clambered out of his bed quietly and, clutching his small toy bear tightly in his hand, made his way down the stairs after his father._

_As he entered the dining room, Lucius' father saw a dark figure with a large back-pack, which he was throwing anything of value into._

_"Hey!" he cried. The figure looked up, but seemed undeterred from his mission. Lucius had found himself in the doorway to the dining room, from which he could see his father rushing towards a black figure. As he passed the light-switch, he flicked it, and indeed the man was dressed all in black, but as Lucius saw his eyes, he froze in fear, dropping his teddy._

_The man's eyes were blood red, and focused on Lucius' father with the eyes of a man who had killed many. But Lucius' father noticed too late, slowing as the man withdrew a knife from his belt and stabbed him hard in the stomach. His knees buckled, his eyes went wide and he felt to the floor as the knife was ripped from him. Blood began to pool around him, as the man took the little else he could find and made his escape._

_Lucius could barely move. Suddenly, he remembered what his father had told him to do… His little hands were shaking as he grabbed the phone, and pressed the '9' three times._

_"Hello, 999, what's your emergency?"_

_"Uh… A man… in black… he took lots of stuff… and he attacked my daddy…" Lucius stuttered, tears falling rapidly down his face from fear. The woman on the end of the phone calmly asked for an address, and Lucius shakily gave it. As soon as the woman had gone, though, he dropped the phone and ran to his father's side. "Daddy!" he cried as he knelt down next to him, his long, blonde hair dipping into the pool of blood, staining it red._

_"L-lucius…" his father whispered. "I told you… to… stay… in bed…"_

_"I-I'm sorry…" Lucius replied, tears still pouring from his eyes._

_"I…Lucius… I need you… to take c-care of mummy… for me… can- can you do that?" his father stammered, his voice cracking and weakening with every breath._

_"But… Daddy…"_

_"I can't… look after you any more… You have to… to be brave now… Be a big boy… for mummy…"_

_"Daddy, the- the ambulance is gonna… they'll be here! You'll get better!"_

_"No, Lu…" his father whispered, tears slipping from his own eyes, as he lifted a bloodied hand to his son's face. "I… I love you, son…"_

_"Daddy… Please… Hold on! H-hear that?" Lucius said, grabbing his father's hand as sirens wailed outside. "They're here… Hold on…"_

_But it was too late. As the door opened, and paramedics rushed in, Lucius' father's hand slipped from his son's grasp, and fell into his own blood, as the life left his eyes and he went cold._

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><p><strong>It has come to my belated attention that orphanages don't actually exist in most western countries anymore... So I'm gonna have to either change where its set, or edit it later (when I've finished writing it) so it's about fostercare homes (which DO exist XD) Ah well, I guess it pays to research early XD**


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: I've hit such a hard part to write... don't worry it's like 20 chapters in the future XD This is why NaNoWriMo is helpful, cuz it makes me battle through writer's block XD Hope you like the chapter guys :) x**

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><p><span><strong>Chapter 3 – Raymond - Dreams<strong>

He couldn't have been asleep very long, for his eyes opened with ease, and there was no sleep in the corners of them. Raymond frowned. Why was he awake? He blinked, turning his head to look around.

A tugging on his covers told him immediately what had woken him…

"Priscilla?" he muttered, pushing himself up into a sitting position. "What's up?"

As Raymond's eyes adjusted to the darkness, he began to see his sister. Her hair was mussed, and she was clutching her favourite toy horse close to her chest. As she became clearer, he saw the tears running from her eyes, and his own eyes widened.

"Priscilla?"

"I… I had a bad dream…" she whispered, and he could tell from her voice that she was worried he'd think her pathetic. He couldn't help the feeling of anger that bubbled in his mind at the thought that his own little sister didn't trust him. But he ignored it, budging over towards the wall and patting the warm space next to him where he had just been sleeping peacefully.

"Come on then." He said, smiling kindly. Priscilla's little face lit up a little, as she realised her brother didn't mind being disturbed. She clambered into the bed, with a little difficulty, and snuggled up to her brother, as he wrapped his arms around her, pulling the duvet over them both.

"Thank you, Ray…" she whispered, sleepily into his chest.

"Feeling better, Priscilla?" he asked, letting his hand rub gentle circles into her back. She nodded silently, and was soon asleep, her breathing calming as she burrowed her head further into her brother's chest as it too rose and fell gently. Raymond smiled, closing his eyes, comforted by the warmth emanating from his sister next to him.

He'd been disturbed by Priscilla's entrance though, and sleep seemed nigh on impossible now. So he opened his eyes again, and watched the moon-light from his un-covered window dance across the ceiling. He never shut the curtains. They stopped him from seeing the beautiful light flood into his room. The rain had stopped long ago, but the droplets still sat on the window, casting strange and beautiful shadows and highlights in the usually smooth light. Occasionally, the drops would tumble down the window pane, and the light would react with it, ending in another place.

He laid like that for the whole night, and watched as dawn broke, and the sun peeked in at his window, casting a golden light on the ceiling, no longer affected by rain-drops, which had evaporated in the night.

Raymond had no idea of the actual time, though, until his alarm began to beep, startling Priscilla out of her slumber. He felt her jump a little in his arms, and only then did he notice that he hadn't moved at all through the night, and his right arm, which was under his sister's slight frame, was numb… She moved to look at him and smiled.

"Morning." He said, a little more dully than he'd at first planned, but he was tired now, and his voice was groggy because of it.

"Morning, Ray… Are you okay?" Priscilla asked innocently.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Raymond said, with a smile, forcing his voice to be a little more steady for his sister's sake.

"You sure? You sound tired… Did I disturb you?" she asked, worried. "I'm sorry!" she started apologising before he'd even given an answer. He sighed.

"Calm down, Priscilla. I'm fine. Honestly." He lied. He was tired, his arm was numb, and he had school in an hour… He was _not_ alright. But he had to pretend for Priscilla. She was so fragile… So breakable, and so caring. If she had an inkling that he was any less than brilliant, she'd be up and panicking. She would beg for forgiveness, when he had willingly offered her aid, and he didn't want to upset her.

"Okay…" she said, though she was still suspicious…

"How did you sleep? Any more nightmares?" Raymond changed the subject. Priscilla shook her head enthusiastically as she sat up. "Good." He said, with a genuine smile. The smile he received in return was as bright as the sun, and her emerald eyes gleamed in the morning sun. "How are you feeling? Fit enough for school?" he asked. Priscilla was anaemic, and often felt weak and generally unwell because of it. Due to her youth, she couldn't take much medication, and that which she did take often had little effect. So she was often confined to bed for days.

"I feel great!" she exclaimed, as she hopped from the bed with a grin.

Raymond laughed, happy to see his sister in such high spirits. She was rarely this active, and to see her so was uplifting for him. He rolled from the bed just as she was skipping off to her room to grab her uniform.

"Raymond?" came his mother's voice. "Are you up?"

"Yeah, Mum!" he called as he pulled his own uniform haphazardly from his wardrobe. _Uh-oh… Where's my jumper?_ He thought. He ignored it for a minute as he threw his pyjamas at his bed, and pulled on his polo-neck shirt, and grey trousers. _Oo! Socks!_ He ran down the stairs. "Mum, I can't find any socks, or my jumper!" he cried. His mother was making toast for them all, her hair knotted and sticking up in all directions as she stood in her dressing gown, with her fading pink slippers, which were falling to bits. She didn't turn around, too focussed on the toast, in case their toaster burnt it. It only had one setting that worked now, and it was too powerful, so you had to watch it constantly in case it burnt the breakfast.

"Try the ironing pile, sweetheart." She muttered distractedly.

Eventually, Raymond was ready. Priscilla was already sat at the table, almost done with her toast. Raymond sat down, grabbing a piece of toast and tearing chunks off at a ridiculous speed. His father was just coming down the stairs, and his mother was just sitting at the table with two mugs of steaming coffee. She was sat across from Priscilla, and next to Raymond. She gave her young son a scowl.

"Don't eat like that, Raymond." She said. "You'll give yourself indigestion!"

Raymond stopped and looked at his mother, confused.

"What's that?" he asked. The cup that his mother was raising to her mouth stopped, and was placed back down on the table.

"Well… it… it's when you end up feeling sick, and burping a lot because you eat too fast…" she explained, though she didn't seem so sure of the explanation herself, a light frown furrowing her brow.

"Ew! Ray, no burping!" Priscilla cried, putting her beaker of orange juice on the table forcefully, as though to act like her mother, who was smiling.

"Aren't you two going to be late?" their father muttered as he collapsed into his chair at the table, with all the grace of a rhinoceros. Raymond glanced at the clock, before stuffing the remains of his toast in his mouth and rushing to grab his bag. Priscilla jumped carefully down from her chair, her fiery red hair bouncing a little as she landed, and billowing behind her as she ran towards the door after her brother.

They were out like a flash, in a blur of red hair and grey clothes, and their parents were left at the table, silently drinking their coffee.

A tension had settled over them once the children had left, and the silence weighed heavily on their shoulders as they nibbled at toast that was overcooked, and sipped at coffee that was far too hot.

Finally, they spoke…

"You shouldn't have to do this, James." she said, feeling the tears welling up in her eyes.

"But I do have to, Celia. You want our children to have a good life, don't you?" he replied, refusing to look his wife in the eye. "I only want to provide for them… I'm their father, it's my duty… No matter what the risk to me." He insisted, though his heart raced in fear.

"But…" she couldn't think of any way to argue… He'd have something to say back. He always did, and she knew he couldn't be swayed…

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><p><strong>My dearest father has also informed me that Orphanages DO technically exist, but they were renamed "children's homes" and are more focussed on foster care... For the sake of my sanity, this is just an orphanage and I am NOT changing anything (I think i'd die if I had to do that XD)<strong>


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4 – Lucius - Enough**

He'd made it back to his room as the sun had set, and was curled up in the corner next to his bed, dabbing the cuts and bruises he'd sustained this time from the attack by the bullies. He'd never learnt their names. Why should he? He hoped that once they were adopted he'd never have to see them again…

They were bound to be adopted… They were tough, and smart. Lucius was weak, and that's why people never gave him a second glance. Ever since he was young, people had looked at him, then moved on and forgotten about his profile, looking at the other children for far longer, before finally settling for one.

At first, he'd thought it was because he was so young… He was, after all, the youngest when he arrived at the tender age of 4 years old… The six year olds tended to get picked… But when he reached six, still nobody chose him. The only child younger than him, a five year old girl named Jenny, was adopted within two weeks of arriving.

That was when he realised it wasn't about his age… It still wouldn't be for a couple of years. No… The reason nobody took a second glance at him, was because he was broken, even by orphan standards. He was bruised and cut, he was emotionally scarred, weak and helpless… and they didn't want to deal with that. And that was all caused by his looks… Because he was a boy with a girl's face… and he was truly beginning to hate himself for it… He was beginning to hate the beauty his mother had given him, and the serenity his father had left him with…

He hated it all. It hurt him. It left him vulnerable, and made him a target, a screaming, flashing bullseye for the tough kids to aim at. The children of the orphanage had come and gone, and Lucius had watched them all change, all the while wishing that the new kid wouldn't see him as a target… But there was always one, usually more…

Tears streamed down his face, as he threw the wad of wet toilet tissue away, stained with his blood. He couldn't stand the sight of blood. It reminded him of the night his father was taken from him… But he always saw his own blood, from some fresh cut or gouge that the bullies made, leaving him weak and broken, tear-stained and helpless to their violence. He was ridiculed for his appearance, and he was sick of it!

He pushed himself to his feet, ignoring the pain as a cut on his leg re-opened, and fresh blood stained his torn jeans. His feet were unsteady, and he had to cling to the wall, as the tears spilled from his eyes and he made his way to the small desk in the room, which was meant to be shared. But it was the worst room, and a child would only be put in there if there were no other beds available at the time, but they would be moved mere days later.

At age twelve, Lucius was nearly the oldest of all the children at the orphanage… Save for one boy, who was fourteen. But Lucius had seen the looks of the people that had come to visit that day. That boy wouldn't be there much longer… But Lucius would. He'd be stuck here until he was old enough to be declared an adult… He prayed that would be sixteen… He already had four years left… if that was extended to six… He didn't know if he could survive. And yet, he doubted it…

He pulled the drawer of the desk out and began to rummage around in it. Tears still cascaded down his face, so many tears that he could hardly see anything that was in the drawer, and his hands were shaking from the silent sobs that wracked his fragile body.

Finally, though, he found what he was looking for… A pair of scissors. They were blunt, but sharp enough for what he needed to do… He sat on the chair, in front of the mirror, placing the scissors on the desk before him, and staring at his reflection. He truly was broken beyond repair… He knew he was. He looked at his face, perfectly sculpted, but bruised and tear-stained, and feminine… Too feminine. He was no girl. He wasn't having a gender crisis. He knew who he was… But he didn't look like who he wanted to be. He wanted to look like them… He wanted to be tough… But he couldn't. He couldn't beat someone up. He was too gentle. Too weak. He burst into a fresh tirade of tears, which he tried desperately to wipe away.

And then he lifted the scissors to his long, blonde hair, and began to cut, sobbing all the while. He wouldn't look so much like a girl without his hair! He cut and cut away at the locks, and as they fell, he sobbed more and more…

When he was finished, his hair was a mess of mismatched sections and stuck out wherever it could. He threw the scissors away, and continued to stare at himself, before letting his head fall forwards into his folded arms, where he stayed and sobbed through the night.

When Lucius awoke the next morning, he was still at the desk. He blinked hard, and rubbed his eyes, which were crusted with dried tears. When he looked in the mirror though, he was shocked. The boy staring back at him had his face… But it wasn't him.

Then he remembered… the scissors were still on his bed, thrown in anger from his current position. His hair was still littering the floor, and the hair that remained was messy and spiky. He let out a shaky breath, letting his head fall into his hands.

What had he done?

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><p><strong>Gah, I'm so sorry Lucius :'(<strong>


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5 – Raymond – Pancakes**

It was Raymond's birthday. He would be nine. Nine was nearly ten, and ten was double figures! He practically jumped out of bed when his alarm sounded.

He roughly tugged his school uniform from the wardrobe and stuffed it on. He didn't care that he had school, it was his birthday! Nothing could spoil a day like today.

He was down the stairs before Priscilla was even out of bed, but one glance told him that was hardly surprising… She was having a weak day.

As he stomped down the stairs, he smelt something very different from the usual toast… Was that…?

"Pancakes!?" He exclaimed gleefully, as he saw the growing pile of said food. His mother turned to him, the frying pan in her hand, and grinned. "I love you Mum!" he cried, as he charged over to hug her legs. She laughed.

"Careful, sweetie, I'll drop it!" she cried, and he let go. "Happy Birthday, Raymond." She said, placing the frying pan on the hob for a moment before bending down to pull her son into a tight hug.

"Thanks, Mum." He said, squeezing her tightly. As he was letting go, Priscilla began her careful descent of the stairs. "Morning, Priscilla." He said. "You okay?"

"Morning." She said, trying to stay energetic. "Happy Birthday, Ray!" she said happily, as she reached the bottom step. She tried running to him, but she couldn't. Instead, she stumbled and fell. Raymond had already begun to run over, anticipating his little sister's misjudgement, and was able to catch her.

"Morning, Sis." He said, picking her up and setting her on her feet again. "Thanks." He smiled, and walked with her to the table, helping her up onto her chair.

"Morning, Mummy." Priscilla said, with a smile. Despite her weakness, her smile still lit up the room, like a million stars were shining just for her, and in her presence nobody could be sad.

"Morning, sweetheart. How are you feeling?" she replied. Priscilla looked down with a sigh.

"Not very good…" she muttered. She used to pretend she was fine, even when she wasn't, because she didn't want to miss school. But she stopped when she started fainting at school, and her condition worsened. Her family, including Raymond, had been crying, although Raymond had tried to hide it; boys weren't supposed to cry… She'd promised never to lie about how she felt again, and since then she'd spent at least half, maybe more, of the school year off sick. But after the incident, the teachers knew to expect it, and gave her extra help in the lessons she did get to.

"Perhaps you should give school a miss today as well then, sweetie…" Celia said. Priscilla looked down, saddened. It had been a good two weeks since she'd last been to school. She'd nearly become well enough a week ago, but her health had suddenly declined again, and they decided it was better to be safe than sorry.

"Aw, cheer up, Priscilla. You'll get to go again soon!" Raymond tried to cheer her up, as he took his seat at the table, and his mother began to serve the pancakes.

Priscilla smiled at him weakly. "Thanks, Ray…" she didn't really seem to believe him. Raymond decided to focus on his pancakes.

For Raymond, Celia got out the strawberry jam. She honestly didn't understand why he liked that on his pancakes, she was a lemon and sugar person, but he liked it, and that was all that mattered. For Priscilla, she got out the ice cream, another thing she just couldn't fathom… Obviously, the lemon and sugar was out for her, and the golden syrup for her husband, when he eventually decided to get up.

The children began to dig in, although Priscilla had to chip away at it. She'd been told never to eat too fast when she was feeling weak. If she ate slower, she would get more of the nutrition from the food, and therefore feel stronger. Raymond, on the other hand, wolfed his pancakes down as though he hadn't eaten in days… Celia simply rolled her eyes as she served him a few more, and served her own.

Finally, James came down the stairs, as Raymond was finishing his pancakes. Priscilla had eaten a total of three, while Raymond had managed ten, and Celia five, at which point she decided she could eat no more, and passed her last two to Raymond, making his total twelve.

Just as he was grabbing his school bag and heading for the door, his father stopped him.

"Raymond, here." He said, handing his son a small brown envelope. "You can open the rest later. Happy Birthday, son." He smiled. Raymond frowned at the little envelope. "Open it, then." His father prompted, still smiling. Raymond obeyed, and his eyes widened at the wad of money that was inside. His mouth fell open in shock. His mother chuckled.

"Don't spend it all at once, dear. That's your birthday money." She said with a smile.

"B-but… there's loads in here!" he slowly counted the notes out into his hand, and although it seemed impossible, his eyes widened even further. "One hundred pounds!?"

"That's right, champ. Things are looking up, Ray. Besides, you're getting to be a big boy now. I think we can trust you with a bit of money." James explained calmly, still smiling.

"Thank you, Mum! Thank you, Dad!" Raymond exclaimed, grabbing his father in a hug, and quickly running over to do the same to his mother.

"Get going now, you'll be late!" James said. Raymond nodded.

"See you later!" he cried as he left.

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><p><strong>I'd love to know what people think of this :) Also, I've only just realised how extremely short these chapters are : That may be something to fix...**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6 – Lucius - Betrayed**

It had been a few weeks now since he'd cut his hair in a fit of rage and despair… And Lucius really did regret it. He missed his hair… And it hadn't helped him one bit to cut it off. The other boys still jeered at him, and laughed at his feminine appearance. It seemed nothing he could do would ever be enough.

He was at least thankful that the hairdresser had been able to sort it out, so it didn't look like a bird's nest. It had no particular style, but it was neat, and that was all Lucius could ask for.

But it didn't change his face. His face was still thin, soft features and girlish looks. His eyelashes were still too long… his face too thin… his body too slight.

And he hated himself for it more every day.

But it seemed he could never quite reach the stage of hating himself as much as the other children of the orphanage hated him…

Today was no different…

School was over, and Lucius was back in the orphanage, after the school bullies made him miss the bus again. Therefore, he had to walk the mile and a half back to the orphanage. Thankfully, he'd done this many times before, so he knew his way, but he didn't know what he would do when he moved to secondary school in a few months… it was a completely new place, in another part of the town…

He didn't really care though… He just wanted to go back to his room and rest. Relaxing was out of the question, he couldn't relax in that place, but he could certainly rest.

But he knew he wasn't going to get to rest after all as soon as he stepped into his room…

Someone had been in there. It was a mess. He always made sure it was tidy and perfect before he left, so someone had gone into his room…

The drawers had been tipped everywhere, not that there was a lot to tip… His drawing set, which he rarely used, his journal, which was empty… His father's book! Lucius hurried to dig it out from under the pile of detritus… It seemed to be okay. It had dried relatively well after its soaking, but the pages were more fragile than ever now… He'd left it in that drawer for safe keeping, at the bottom. But someone had rummaged through everything.

He placed the book carefully on the top of the chest of drawers, ignoring the rest of the discarded items, too concerned with checking the rest of the damage. He couldn't think what the intruder had been looking for, because they'd obviously had something in mind…

When Lucius' eyes rested on his bed, he realised, with rising horror, and a sinking sick feeling in the pit of his stomach, what it was…

His mother's ring was gone.

Lucius felt hot tears spring to his eyes as he went over to the bed. The pillow had been tossed aside, and the duvet scrunched. The spot where he kept the ring, tucked neatly under his pillow, was empty.

He used to wear it on a string around his neck, but he got bullied constantly for it, and had decided two years previously that he would stop wearing it, and instead hide it safely away in his room. It obviously hadn't been as safe as he'd thought. Because now it was gone. Someone had come into his room for the sole purpose of taking that ring…

But who? Why?

Could it be those boys that had beat him up and thrown his father's book into the toilet? No… They didn't know he had the ring. They hadn't even known the significance of the book, just thrown it in there thinking it was worthless… No, this attack had been made by someone that knew how precious those items were to Lucius…

Lucius gasped. _Seamus_! Seamus was the only one who knew the significance of the ring. True, others had seen it, but only Seamus knew that it was Lucius' most precious possession, even more so that his father's book…

Seamus had come to the orphanage two years ago, and was one year Lucius' junior. When he'd first arrived, the only bed available was the other one in Lucius' room. It would be two weeks until another bed was available, so Seamus was to stay with Lucius.

Seamus had been shy, reclusive and scared. His parents had been killed in a car crash many years ago, and he had been living with his grandmother, until she sadly passed away from illness, resulting in his transfer to the orphanage. The new 'family' was large and intimidating, and for much of his life, Seamus had been used to seclusion and small company.

But Lucius had been kind, offering the hand of friendship to his new roommate, even if he was only going to be there for a few weeks. He showed Seamus the ways of the orphanage, and pointed out all the other children. They became good friends, and therefore when Seamus was offered to move to another room, he politely declined, opting instead to stay with Lucius.

Things had seemed to be brightening up for Lucius, and he and his friend shared many secrets and interests. Lucius had, at this point, decided he was going to stop wearing the ring, and on the day he took it off, Seamus had asked what it was. Lucius had explained its background and how much it meant to him, before hiding it safely in one of his drawers.

After a year in the orphanage, Seamus' confidence had grown to such a level that he was speaking freely and happily with the other children. However, as his bonds with the others grew, so did his bond with Lucius begin to weaken, as he became fast friends with some of the other boys.

Eventually, Lucius realised that Seamus had changed… He wasn't the shy, secluded boy that he'd become friends with. He was a boisterous, loud person now, and his friendships with the others lead him to grow a dislike for Lucius' gentle ways and feminine looks.

He only spoke to Lucius when he had to, and if Lucius spoke to him first, he would simply ignore him, consumed in football magazines and other boy-ish pass-times…

Then, seven months ago, Seamus seized his opportunity, and asked to be moved to one of the spare beds in his new best friend, Johnny's room. Lucius rarely saw him anymore, but he didn't want to.

Johnny Hues was a bully, a cruel boy only a month or two younger than Lucius. He'd been at the orphanage for around five years, and ever since he'd arrived he had scorned Lucius, and always wanted to find new ways to hurt him…

Seamus knew how much Lucius loved the ring… and that was why it was gone. Seamus and Johnny had worked together, and finally hit Lucius where it really hurt… His memories of his parents.

Boiling hot tears cascaded down Lucius' face. It had hurt when Seamus had begun to ignore him, and it had hurt even more when he'd asked to be moved… But this was more. This was a betrayal of the utmost pain and cruelty, a betrayal Lucius had never expected from Seamus, who had been his only friend…

A fear nawed at him. Fear of what would happen if he tried to get the ring back. Fear of what would happen to the ring if he didn't… And fear of being alone. A fear of loneliness that he'd never been rid of until Seamus had been his friend, and which was now stronger than ever.

But he knew he couldn't allow them to keep that ring. So he dried his eyes, and marched from his room to find the boys.

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><p><strong>Back at last, yes I still exist XD Also, just to clarify, later on it will become apparent that I'm not using English towns et.c lol. It's basically "modern Elibe" just English so I can accurately portray what's going on (as far as I can anyway), so all the places are places from the game :) x<strong>


	7. Chapter 7

**Before I continue with the chapter, a reply to a Guest review (thanks for reviewing by the way, it means a lot and it is actually the reason I'm uploading now).**

**A) This is an AU. I realise a couple of things won't line up perfectly with game canon (but to be honest, if you've read all the support conversations and attempted to figure their actual backstory in-game there are a few places where THAT doesn't line up) I am taking artistic license with some details in order to foreshadow and/or build characters. **

**B) See above.**

**C) I'm not certain what you're referring to here...**

**D) I don't think his hair grew overnight O.o It's been a while since I wrote this, so perhaps I made a mistake...**

**E) It never specifies their age difference in the game, so I decided a few years would be better. It also becomes a plot device later on.**

**F) The drawing set is, again, artistic license. It seemed the sort of thing a modern Lucius would have. He could easily have done odds jobs around the town et.c to earn the money for it.**

**And I have no idea would Armin Arlert is so that last bit made no sense to me! **

**I hope that's cleared some stuff up XD On with the story!**

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><p><span><strong>Chapter 7 – Raymond – Gifts<strong>

The twenty minute walk to school was never bad, but today it was wonderful. The sun shone down on him as he walked, and as he passed through the town, he took an opportunity to look into all the shop windows. He actually had money… He could buy something if he wanted it. As strange as the feeling was, it made him feel very grown up. If he wanted sweets, he could buy sweets… If he wanted a new board game, or an action figure, he could buy it!

He was running the thoughts over in his mind, a grin plastered stupidly on his face, when he saw the window of the toy shop out of the corner of his eye. He stopped, and turned to face it.

In the window, at the front of a display of large animal toys, was a giant horse… It was light brown, with deep set dark blue eyes, made of those strange large half-beads that toys always used for eyes, with the black centre, and coloured outer ring… Its mane was a richer, darker brown than the rest of its body, and on its back was a blue saddle.

His mind flashed back to several weeks ago, when Priscilla had run in with that picture of a horse… This horse was big enough for her to actually pretend to ride it… at least for several years. Raymond did not know how long he stared, but when he looked at his watch, he realised he would have to run to school to be on time. But as he ran, he had already decided what he'd buy first with the money…

The school day was average, as far as school day went. At least, it was until break-time…

A birthday in their class was always celebrated, but Raymond had yet to reveal it was his birthday, because he couldn't continue the strange tradition that had always been in their class since reception. The birthday boy or girl would always have sweets to hand out… But Raymond never could. His family could never afford sweets for him or Priscilla to take in.

But as he delved into his backpack for his lunch-box, his hand collided with something that rustled with a ridiculous noise. He carefully withdrew the noisy package from the bottom of his bag, and his eyes widened as a grin spread across his face.

It was a massive bag of sweets! His Mum must have put them in his bag…

Hurriedly, Raymond ran over to his friends, Anthony and Kendal.

"Hey, Ray… Isn't it your birthday today?" Kendal asked. Raymond grinned.

"Yep. Here! Take one!" he exclaimed, a little over-excited. Kendal and Anthony exchanged a surprised glance.

"You have sweets?" Anthony asked, confused.

"What do you think they are? Beatles? Of course I have sweets!" Raymond replied sharply, holding the bag under their noses. The two shrugged and took a sweet each.

"Thanks." They said in unison, smiling at their friend. Raymond smiled back, glad to finally have something to offer people.

The rest of the day saw Raymond become quite popular among his classmates. This was obviously because of the sweets, but Raymond didn't mind. He'd never had a birthday like this before, and he was going to savour it.

But as the day drew to a close, he remembered the horse. As he said goodbye to his friends, he hurried into town, clutching his wallet tightly in his hand. The toy shop would still be open for a while, but he wanted to buy Priscilla that horse…

He knew it was his money, and he really shouldn't be spending it on his little sister. A part of him was in fact violently resisting the urge. However, as soon as he'd seen it, Raymond had known that he wanted to get it for her… He wanted her to be as happy today as he was. And besides… she was ill. She was miserable. She needed cheering up. And what better way than a new teddy?

He was home in half the time it usually took him to walk, despite the giant horse he was now carrying, and he pushed the door open.

"I'm home!" he called. He heard pattering footsteps from the living room, and sure enough in came Priscilla, followed by their mother. Priscilla seemed to have a little more energy than earlier, so that was good. And Raymond also noticed that the pale green dress she was wearing seemed to be new; he'd certainly never seen it before.

"Goodness me, Raymond! What on earth did you buy that for?!" Celia exclaimed as she saw the horse in her son's hands. Raymond had had a feeling she might react like that… But he just smiled.

"Priscilla, this is for you." He said, placing the horse down in front of his sister. Her eyes lit up, and her mouth widened into a smile.

"Really, Ray!?" she cried excitedly, as though it was too good to be true.

"Yeah. I thought it looked a lot like the horse in your picture… So I figured I'd get you it." He explained. "Do you like it?"

"Yes yes! Thank you, big brother!" Priscilla cried, as she ran at him and flung her arms around his neck. Raymond felt like she was going to squeeze him to death, but he didn't mind. He was just glad to see her with her energy back.

When she was done hugging him, Priscilla went back to the horse, and clambered onto its back, pretending to ride it back into the living room. Raymond watched her go, smiling, as his mother bent down to his level.

"Why did you buy her that? It's your birthday money… Shouldn't you spend it on yourself? You know… You're the one who's supposed to be happy today." She said, a little confused.

"This makes me happy." Raymond said, smiling at his mother. "I don't like to see her sad when she's ill…" he muttered, looking down sheepishly. "Sorry, Mum… I just wanted to cheer her up."

His mother smiled.

"Okay, Raymond. You still have to open your presents anyway! We were waiting for you in there." She changed the subject. Raymond looked surprised. "Did you forget you had other presents?" Celia laughed a little. "Come on."

That birthday was the best Raymond had ever had. He'd never had so many presents. He didn't even know where he was going to put them yet, so they had to be stacked in a corner of his room until they could figure it out. It was a wonderful day.

But that was the brightest day he was to see in a long while… A very long while.

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><p><strong>Ah, chessy dramatic end sentences. I love them so.<strong>


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